Will Blacks, Latinx people see the need to get vaccinated? Austin lawmaker hopes so

Many in the African American and Latinx communities remain wary of immunization and the medical establishment at large, writes state Rep. La Shawn Ford. That’s why “we have to make sure that people trust the vaccine will work, and we need to do everything that we can to bring an understanding to our community about how important it is to take the vaccine and to be able to trust it,” Ford says.

Vote now

There are early voting sites across the city and on the West Side; they’re open seven days a week. If you have registered yet to vote, you can do so at any of these sites. If you prefer to vote by mail, you can drop off your sealed and completed ballot at a secure lock box any any Chicago early voting site. Election Day is Nov. 3.

Abolish teaching history – until we get it right

Important parts of our history have not been told or taught because it hasn’t been believed it actually happened, writes state Rep. La Shawn Ford. Until they saw it on their TV screens, the dominant White culture didn’t believe that Blacks could be treated like John Lewis was treated – and many did not believe that so many Blacks are victimized by police until they saw the last 8 minutes and 46 seconds of George Floyd’s life.

Let’s stop gun running from Indiana

Although Illinois has one of the country’s tougher gun laws, the neighboring Hoosier state doesn’t, which means illegal guns keep flowing into Chicago, says Austin lawmaker La Shawn Ford. He’s pushing legislation to stop the flow of illegal guns from nearby states.